Catalyzer and method of preparing the same.



EDWIN CUNO KAYSER, OF BEAU SEJ' OUR, ST. BRELADES BAY, ISLE OF JERSEY,

ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE HYDBOGENATION COMPANY, OF CIN-CINNATI, OHIO A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

OATALYZER AND METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME.

No Drawing.

, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN CUNo Karena, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Beau Sejour, St. Brelades Bay, Isle of Jersey, haveinvented a new and useful Catalyzer and Methods of Preparing the Same,of which the following is a specification.

It is well known that unsaturated fatty bodies (such as the naturalvegetable and animal oils and fats) can be made to absorb hydrogen, andcan thus be solidified or hardened, by being brought into intimatecontact With the gas in presence of certain inorganic or organicnickel-compounds, such as the carbonate, the hydrate, the oxid, theformate or acetate.

These latter bodies however, before they become capable of transmittinghydrogen, have in their turn, and under the action of the gas, to sufferpreliminary fundamental changes, of hitherto undefined nature. Suchchanges do not take place at a temperature materially below 250 or even27 5 degrees centigrade, such as is not readily imparted and isdetrimental to fatty bodies.

Once formed, the catalyzers will transmit hydrogen to fatty bodies at amore moderate temperature.

Excessive heating of all but a limited quantity of unstable material mayaccordingly be avoided, in the practice of fathardening, by preparing inadvance and in the manner described, a concentrated fattycatalyzer-paste or catalyzer-cake, which is thereafter used at a lowertemperature for the conversion of unsaturated fatty bodies in presenceof hydrogen: or the preliminary treatment of the catalyzer may becarried out at relatively high temperatures in another, and preferablyindifferent, fluid medium, such as paraffin wax, the resulting catalyzerbeing thereafter isolated and applied to its ultimate purpose. Thesemethods however are not without inconvenience and drawbacks.

Now, I have observed that the said nickel compounds, and some others nothitherto available, can readily be converted into catalyzers of superioractivity and longevity, and this at a temperature not exceeding 180degrees Centigrade, when the preliminary treatment is carried out inpresence of a small quantity of certain finely divided metals,

Specification of Letters Patent.

. of the oil takes place.

Patented Aug. ML, 1917.

Application filed June 12, 1914. Serial No. 844,794.

and that fatty bodies can at a moderate tem-' would by itself exerciseupon the fat but very slight action, or no action whatever.

Thus, if 250 grams of cotton seed oil be indefinitely agitated withhydrogen at 180 degrees Centigrade in presence of 6 grams of commercialnickel-carbonate, the mixture does not change color, and nohardening Ifthe oil be similarly treated with gas in the sole presence of 0.5 (1})gram of so called atomic copper, prepared in the known manner by theaction of Zinc dust on copper sulfate solution, a like negative resultis registered. If however the said quantities of nickel carbonate andcopper metal be simultaneously present, the charge rapidly darkens andbecomes progressively hardened, showing after two hours a melting point.of 46 degrees centigrade, after three hours a melting point of 52 C.,and after four hours a melting point of 56 C. When finally freed fromsuspended catalyzer by filtration or other mechanical means, the fatwill set to a white, tasteless and odorless, brittle solid. Therecovered catalyzer can repeatedly be used in the same manner; itsactivity will at first be found to increase and then to slowly decline.

- Similar, but somewhat inferior, results are produced with nickelhydrate in place of carbonate, the oXid or per-oxid of nickel,

rapidly transformed and activated by a small quantity of catalyticmetallic nickel, produced in the known manner by dry reduction of theoxid, hydrate or carbonate in a current of hydrogen. Even the oxalate,otherwise quite stable at 275 (1, is thus readily transformed into anefiicient catalyzer.

For example, 250 rams of cotton seed oil, agitated with hydrogen at 180G. in

presence of 0.5 gr. of active nickel powder,

A are in three hours hardened to a melting point of 37 C.; in thesimultaneous presence of 7 gramsof nickel hydrate the char e rapidlyturns gray and, when filtere after three hours running, reveals a whitefat, melting at 54 C.

" In the same manner, cooperation of 0.5 gr. nickel powder with 12.5 gr.nickel oxalate yields in three hours a white fat, melting,

at 54 C.

The reactions described, separately and jointly, may frequently befacilitated and accelerated by using, instead of the pure tiallynon-catalytic nickel compound to the action of hydrogen at a temperaturesufiicing to effect reduction, in presence of an auxiliary catalyticmetal.

2. The method of preparing a catalytic body, which consists insubjecting a .substantially non-catalytic nickel compound to the actionof hydrogen at a temperature of about 180 (1, and in presence of anauxil- 40 iary catalytic metal.

3. Th method of preparing a' catalytic body, which consists insubjecting a substantially non-catalytic nickel compound to the actionof hydrogen at a temperature sufficing to effect reduction, in presenceof a relatively small proportion of an auxiliary catalytic metal.

4:. The method of preparing a catalytic body, which consists insubjecting a substantially non-catalytic nickel compound to the actionof hydrogen at a temperature suflicing to effect reduction, in presenceof a relatively small proportion of copper, said nickel compound beingone whose reduction by hydrogen is facilitated by the presence of copperas a catalyzer. i

5. The method of hydrogenizing unsaturated fatty bodies withsimultaneous preparation of a catalyzer, which consists in subjectingsuch bodies to the action of hydrogen in presence of a substantiallynon-catalytic compound of nickel and an auxiliary catalytic metal, at atemperature suflicing to reduce said compound.

6. The method of hydrogenizing unsaturated fatty bodies withsimultaneous preparation ofa catalyzer, which consists in subjectingsuch bodies at a temperature of about 180 (1., to the action of hydrogenin presence of a substantially non-catalytic compound of nickel and anauxiliary catalytic metal.

7. The method of hydrogenizing unsatu- I rated fatty bodies withsimultaneous preparation of a catalyzer, which consists in subjectingsuch bodies to the action of hydrogen at a temperature sufficing toeffect reduction, in presence of a substantially non-catalytic compoundof-nickel and a relatively small proportion of an auxiliary catalyticmetal.

8. The method of hydrogenizing unsaturated fatty bodies withsimultaneous preparation of a catalyzer, which consists in subjecting.such bodies to the action of hydrogen at a temperature sufficing toeffect reduction, in presence of a substantially non-catalytic compoundof nickel and a relatively small proportion of copper, said nickelcompound being one whose reduction by hydrogen is facilitated by thepresence of copper as a catalyzer.

9. A catalyzer comprising a catalytic nickel compound intimatelyassociated with a relatively small proportion of an auxiliary catalyticmetal.

10. A catalyzer comprising a catalytic nickel compound intimatelyassociated with a relatively small proportion of copper.

' EDWIN CUNO KAYSER.

Witnesses:

A. EBREANT, CLEMENT J. MAILET.

